Thady planning for the present and future

The excitement and anticipation crackles through the crisp Knockcroghery air. There isn’t a puff of breeze at the home of St. Dominic’s GAA Club, which — as those with a deep-rooted knowledge of GAA grounds throughout County Roscommon will testify — is unusual.

But the hurling landscape is different in Jamesie Murray country this year. With a magnificent Harvest Moon as a picturesque backdrop, the most lucrative crop in 25 years is within reach.

As manager Martin 'Thady' Beirne and his management team impart their final words of encouragement to 35 players after another rewarding training session, it doesn’t take long for the banter to kick in. Photographers and reporters are waiting. It’s new territory for this group of players, but they're embracing every moment.

“We’re not used of this craic. It’s mighty, 23 years since we were in the final. A lot of the boys weren’t born the last time we were there. It’s brilliant for the club, but it’s great for hurling in general. Other clubs see that it can be done with a bit of work,” outlined Beirne.

The journey to get to his point — only the eighth senior hurling final in St. Dominic’s history — has encountered many bumps along the road. Beirne recalls a meeting 12 years ago where disbanding the hurling club was on the table. Even last year, two members of the management departed, citing a lack of commitment among the players.

“I suppose I sort of fell into the job mid-season, so it was very hard to get things together. But we sat down at the end of last year. We put a plan in place and here we are,” recalled Beirne.

“We brought Joe Keane in towards the tail end of the season and he got a bit of work done with them. We had him in from the start this year and his input has been massive. Joe’s the best I’ve ever worked with. I was with him when he was in with the county. He’s very good — all ball work.

“But it’s all about the players. It’s no good paying a manager that will just stand on the sideline. The money should be spent on coaching, just to improve players and bring them on. From the first day we played Four Roads, we’ve improved 40 per cent, and the results prove that.

“Every day we went out, bar the blip against Oran, we’ve performed. No disrespect to Oran, but we probably took them a bit for granted. They were struggling for numbers but Oran are never really struggling. They’re tight and we just didn’t get going. I knew from the warm-up that we weren’t bouncing the way we usually are.

“In hindsight, it was the best thing that could have happened to us. It was better to underperform that day than in a county quarter-final or semi-final,” he pointed out.

Since the current format was introduced, it’s the first year Dominic’s have furrowed a path directly to the semi-finals. It has been a significant milestone.

“That was a huge boost to us. Some say the gap is a bad thing but we used it to train hard, and it showed against Athleague in the semi-final.

“Micheál Byrne came bursting out with a ball in the last two minutes. He breezed by two Athleague lads. You’d swear it was the first minute. Fitness isn’t an issue. Every lad is bouncing, mad for action.

“Most of them are young. Jack Lohan is only 23 and he’s our captain. Micheál Byrne is only 26 but he has a world of hurling played. I think he’s the best hurler in Roscommon,” he enthused.

But there’s a ruthless streak embedded within the current set-up. There have been departures and difficult conversations with players — all with the goal of maintaining the current harmony within the group.

“I feel for the likes of Robbie Byrne. He soldiered down through the years for Dominic’s. He finished up last year. He was probably our best hurler but his knee couldn’t stick it any longer.

“Pauric Halpin is another great lad, a doctor below in Sligo. He couldn’t commit. Pauric could have played last year because he was coming in and out. He couldn’t do that this year because everyone was making the effort.

“We were glad to see someone like Pauric showing up for a game in Athleague last year, and we’d start him midfield. This year, in fairness to him, he could see that the lads were putting in the effort and he wasn’t prepared to sit on the bench.

“Ronan Kilcline is in Canada. He only text me the other day. It’s tough on those lads but that’s the way it pans out sometimes.

“We’ve brought eight minors in this year. There are another four or five coming again next year. There were a couple of lads that couldn’t commit because they were doing the Leaving Cert. It was too late when they came in. They came to a couple of training sessions but when we cut the panel six weeks ago, they didn’t make it.

“We knew that we were going well, and we just didn’t have room for lads with just a few sessions under their belt. We were tightly knit, and that’s the way we wanted to keep it,” he revealed.

For 19 years, Beirne had soldiered in the Dominic’s trenches. He was a selector alongside Micheál Mulry even though he was still playing. When the body could give no more three years ago, he joined Noel Moran’s management team.

After a few hard knocks along the way, he feels that Dominic’s are on the cusp of something special. It might not end up replicating the club’s most successful era between 1994 and 2001 when Dominic’s contested six out of the seven finals they’ve played in, winning two of them in ’94 and 1999 — the latter being their last title. But there is a sense that a rising tide is about to lift all boats.

“It’s not just about this year. We’re building for the future. It’s great just to get back to the final. There’s great excitement in the village. Everyone is behind us.

“We wouldn’t be here tonight if we didn’t think that we could win the final. I watched the video of the two semi-finals and the standard was like night and day when you compared them. So if our lads can bring what they’re capable of — if they play the game and not the occasion — we’ll be bang in this game.

“We love playing in the Hyde, good open space. But for an atmosphere, you can’t beat Ballyforan like it was for the semi-final. There will still be a good atmosphere if we win it. We’ll have more support. All the neutrals will be shouting for Dominic’s.

“Having it in Athleague or Ballyforan, it would be nice and tight, especially for the parade. Then again, if there are nerves, it might be better if everyone isn’t on top of you and there is a bit of room. But it’s only a small thing, we’d play this final in the green in Knockcroghery if we had to.”

And a prediction from the straight-talking manager?

“I think we’ll win it and that’s not me saying that just for the papers. It’s in us, there’s no fear in those lads. If we get a good start and keep plugging away, we’ll be right there with a few minutes to go,” he concluded.

There will be some party in the village if Thady’s expectations come to pass.